


Death is Inevitable

by Team_CaptainAmerica



Category: Marvel, Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bucky crying, Death's POV, Don't Go, F/M, Infinity War, Live and Let Die, Near Death Experiences, Original Character Death(s), Sad, amazing grace sung by Bucky Barnes, avoiding death, close encounters with death, death of a hero and national icon, hero's death, parts of mcu from death's pov, please let him live
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-08-15
Packaged: 2018-08-08 22:06:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7775434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Team_CaptainAmerica/pseuds/Team_CaptainAmerica
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve Rogers can no longer escape death... And old and life long, lingering friend of his.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Death is Inevitable

**Author's Note:**

> Fair warning, this may get sad. And depressing. Read with caution. I recently finished The Book Thief and had to write this. Also, I'm not forcing my religion or just in general to be in a religion(I myself am not Catholic), I just thought it was fitting with the story and I can totally see Bucky as the choir boy up to no good at his local Catholic church. The song is a very common song sung at Funerals and I love it so that's why it's there. Also, there is a part or two were I took a line from The Book Thief because it fit. I don't own that, I just borrowed it from the book.

“Watch yourself all your life in a mirror and you’ll see Death at work like bees in a glass hive” - Jean Cocteau 

Steven Grant Rogers. Where do I even start with this man? First of all I should point out that this man has avoided me more times than I can count. He’d been close so many times in his life. Many in his youth when he was sick and weak, before that blasted serum gave him more of an advantage of still breathing and living on earth. Not that stopped him from making rash and dumb spur of the moment, I-giving-my-life-up-for-you decisions.  
That was just the way Steve Rogers was and had always been, much to the dismay of his best friend Bucky Barnes, who’d also escaped me as well several times in his life. He was so close, too close and was lucky (or rather in a way unlucky) enough to escape my clutches that fateful, cold snowy day on the train in early 1945. Bucky had always been there, even when Steve’s mother had died several years earlier in 1936. I remembered carrying that poor, tried out, gentle soul above their heads, only pausing a moment to watch the poor young man cry out for his mother before I left.  
Many a time on the battlefield he evaded my grasp, out of determination and spite almost it seemed, but he SHOULD’VE died that day on the Valkyrie, saying his last goodbyes to the woman whom he was sweet on (more on her later). He should’ve been gone, nothing more than a memory in the hearts of those who knew and loved him. But no, that was not that case. That serum once again gave him the advantage and he survived in the ice for almost seventy years. If that isn’t dumb luck I don’t know what is.  
I remember passing over his figure, carrying souls with me as he fought for the city under an alien attack not long after he’d been defrosted, he took quite a few good hits but remained upright and refusing to give up, fighting for vengeance of the man on the helicarrier that I’d taken earlier, though he’d annoyingly been taken back by Nick Fury using Project T.A.H.I.T.I. I’d almost taken his new teammate, Tony Stark (another soul that always seemed to avoid my grasp. All of them did really, it was rather irritating sometimes), but the Hulk had caught him at the last minute, another surprise, but as I was learning quickly, this group of misfit heroes were chalk full of them. He’d thrown himself back into the fray without too much damage done to himself, but it certianly wasn’t the last I’d see of him.  
He’d been close on the Helicarrier after enduring the beating from his best friend, who was NOT dead as previously thought, and then almost drowning. I was surprised when his friend had saved him from the murky depths and me. It was almost absurd by now the amount of times I’d almost taken him. But I knew as I watched he was still needed, his friend was in dire need of help, the poor tortured man hadn’t had it easy while Steve was serving time as a Capsicle in the words of Tony Stark, and Steve was the only one that could help him.  
He wasn’t even in harm's way in Sokovia about a year or so later, maybe on occasion, but nothing life threatening. There were plenty of souls to collect that day anyway, including one of the Maximoff twins. He’d gone willingly and without hesitation. Looked me right in the eye and said take me instead of him. And I did, because Clint Barton was one lucky man and he wasn’t on my list. I’d watched Steve comfort Wanda and let her cry on his shoulder because he knew what it was like to lose everyone that meant everything or anything to you. Taking one twin and leaving the other was always difficult. It was like only taking half of the soul and the rest was left behind. That’s how connected they were. Sad but true, especially in the case of Wanda Maximoff whose parents had been taken by me years earlier and the connection between the twins had been almost too strong to sever. Almost.  
Then there was the business of Peggy Carter’s death. She was only one left from his former life that wasn’t running away from him. She’d also escaped my clutches several times, (Steve, Bucky and her were quite the escape artists let me tell you) but the time had come when she was too tired and forgetful to go on anymore, despite seeing her ex beau still young and more or less in love with her. I finally took the poor, worn out and confused woman’s soul away, warm and finally content in my arms, the only worry in her mind was Steve, now he was truly alone in this new, different world.  
I was irked though when I saw the poor man found out by text. Whoever thought that was a good idea ought to be beat with a rubber hose until some common sense was knocked into them. The ways of this century confused and annoyed me greatly. I’d seen enough of Steve Rogers life that I knew he at least deserved to be told in person, maybe even be there when I took her away if the whole incident in Lagos and then the Sokovia Accords mess hadn’t been thrown on his plate.  
My last and final meeting with Steve Rogers was a sad and monumental moment. America’s golden boy finally fallen into my clutches after escaping it so many times before. And what more fitting way to go out than to be fighting for his country alongside his best friend? I can still hear Bucky cussing out Thanos with words that’d make a sailor blush. Steve’s beloved shield had been knocked out of his grasp and as he reached out to block a hit meant or his friend, Thanos took his chance and then Steve was on the ground and I was approaching, fast but quiet on the loud battlefield. His torso was covered in blood, a gaping, gushing hole in his chest as he gasped for breath, lungs filling with the thick liquid. There was too much blood, there was no way even he could survive that hit, it would be impossible to even try and stitch it up, there was just a gaping, blood soaked whole where his chest should be. There were shouts and Bucky was there, holding his limp hand in his his, gripping it like a lifeline as he simultaneously tried to stop the bleeding and plead/reprimand his best friend.  
“Please, please, please don’t leave Stevie, don’t let go. No. NO. It’s too soon, I shouldn’t have gone into cryo freeze… there was so much catching up we had to do and You needed someone there who understood what it was like to be totally lost in a new and strange world.” Darn right the idiot shouldn’t have done that, he would’ve been fine, I knew was scared but c’mon, fear never stopped him before.  
“I-I’m sorry… Buck. I-I can’t hold on…” He rasped out, blood pouring from his lips like a river.  
“No-no. Don’t say that, you’re gonna be fine. Don’t you dare leave me you punk, ‘til the end of the line, remember?”  
“Yeah… I remember jerk” Steve slurred, his eyes drooping as he tried to put up one last fight. I was kneeling beside him, in the middle of the circle of onlookers watching their hero fall into my hands. Bucky was smiling sadly despite his friend dying, biting back the tears that were threatening to fall. I sighed, this was starting to get sappy.  
“Don’t worry… I’ll say hi to the Commandos, Peg and Ma and your parents for you”  
“Don't say that Steve… please”  
“It’ll be alright Bucky, I promise and don’t go off and do something brash and stupid” By now he was taking deep, choking breaths  
“How could I? You’re taking all the stupid with you”  
“Remember… ‘Til the end of the line…” Steve’s voice faltered off and then his soul sat up and met me. His kind of soul always did, the ones that rise up and say “I know who you are and I’m ready. Not that I want to go, but I’m going to come with you anyway” (this small part was from the Book Thief, I borrowed it because it fit so well, I don't own that part at all, just a borrowed quote) And then his soul, finally at last was resting in my arms, safe and sound. The weary man out of time who’d lost everything and cared about everyone but himself could finally rest. It almost made me cry at what I saw that poor man go through.  
I floated above his friends watching his lifelong best friend cry out in anguish before he folded Steve’s hands over his chest and so softly so that you could barely hear, he sang a song he must have remembered from his upbringing (the man’s family was Catholic if I recall correctly) and with a surprisingly good voice for an assassin I might add.  
“Amazing grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind, but now I see. ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved, how precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed. When we’ve been there, ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise, than when we first begun. Amazing grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I’m found. Was blind, but now I see”  
The song followed us as I took his soul away, I didn’t wait around for the choked sobs and tears to fall. I had to take Steve Roger’s soul to it’s final resting place where it belonged with all those he’s lost and were taken by me. I’d finally taken him, and this time he was ready, almost willing to go. Better him than anyone else, selfless as usual. He’d lived a good, long life and now it was his turn to rest, I’d bring the others here soon enough. Steven Grant Rogers had died like a hero going home and now my work with him was finally finished.

**Author's Note:**

> Look up Amazing Grace on Youtube, the first version they give you is the best, along with the ones by Il Divo or Josh Groban. Thanks for reading! I wasn't so sure but I went with it, but I hope you liked it!!!


End file.
